


Hidden in the Shadows

by User_needs_a_Username



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Abduction, Blood, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Fake Character Death, Family, Gen, Injury, Kidnapping, Parental Roy Mustang, Parenthood, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-16 20:40:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29088471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/User_needs_a_Username/pseuds/User_needs_a_Username
Summary: Edward thinks he's being followed so he tries to shake the person off by going into Eastern Headquarters, but everything goes down hill quickly when Edward accidentally involves Mustang. Now, everyone is grieving their supposed murders, while Edward and Mustang are being tortured without any hope of rescue. ParentalRoyEd.
Relationships: Alphonse Elric & Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric & Edward Elric & Roy Mustang, Alphonse Elric & Maes Hughes, Alphonse Elric & Riza Hawkeye, Edward Elric & Maes Hughes, Edward Elric & Riza Hawkeye, Edward Elric & Roy Mustang, Maes Hughes & Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye & Maes Hughes, Riza Hawkeye & Maes Hughes & Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye & Roy Mustang
Comments: 16
Kudos: 25





	1. Chapter 1

Pain was an inevitable piece of life, was it not? It was one of the prices. The constant groaning and aching. The sharp and dull. It all hurt. It was all pain. It was inescapable.

There were so many kinds of pain. Physical pains had almost no limits. Mental pain was far different. It was uncontrollable. Other pain could be controlled with numbing medications. But some pain was impossible to ignore. Grief is among those.

\--- 

Roy Mustang was a procrastinator. That was a well known fact around the office. It was something that he had unintentionally been labeled as. So, now, he sat there with a ticked First Lieutenant Hawkeye staring him down while he filled out his paperwork. Paperwork that would, with no doubt, be the death of him. If his death didn't come from Riza's gun.

"Sir, I have seen you write faster than that," Hawkeye prodded in her usual "down to business" way.

"Of course, but that was when I was writing to pretty girls." Hawkeye's gun was pulled from its holster and emptied in record time. The bullets met with old scars in the wood of Mustang's desk. Also compliments of his First Lieutenant.

The whole crew jumped. One would think after so long they would learn not to jump, but they must have jumped because they never knew when, if ever, Hawkeye would finally just snap and shoot the annoying, procrastinating womanizer. The Colonel jumped because of how close the bullets were to his own person. Who wouldn't jump if their very life was at risk?

"Get to work, Sir."

There was nothing to be said. The Colonel did his work, and he did it faster. Soon the seconds turned to minutes and the minutes to hours. The end of the work day rolled around and the paperwork on Roy's desk was still not finished.

Hawkeye didn't make any move to leave the office, but the others were all gathering their own belongings and "cleaning" their desks. The sound of farewells filled the air as the occupants filed out. Soon the office was completely silent, all except for the scratching of Roy's pen and the clock ticking away on the wall. It was about three pages through that Roy looked up to see Hawkeye sitting there reading a book. The flip of a page, and Roy went back to work.

Again, the time inched on. Roy felt the need to say something to his First Lieutenant. What he was supposed to say was lost to him, though. He went back to writing. Taking a glance at the clock every few minutes, genuinely annoyed at the fact that time seemed to be crawling at a snail's pace.

"Lieutenant, head home while you can still sleep tonight." Roy was actually surprised he had said that. He had said that, right?

"With all due respect, Sir, I don't trust you not to run for it as soon as I leave."

"Hawkeye, I am insulted that you would think I would do that." Roy honestly would run if he wouldn't have to do all the work the next day. Because he would have the work the next day, he didn't feel like running out. "Also, I know very well that this paperwork isn't going anywhere. There is no reason for you not to get any sleep. I mean, who will keep me in check tomorrow if you are exhausted?" Roy actually didn't know if Hawkeye needed sleep at all. She seemed to always be like a machine running on command. He knew that wasn't actually all that accurate. Riza showed emotion, kind of, where machines couldn't.

He was waiting for the inevitable no that was surely coming his way. "Keep to your work, Sir. I'll see you tomorrow."

_What? She was actually going?_

She closed the book and cleaned her desk. The woman had her desk in order and her things all together so she was soon leaving Roy behind in the office. "Finish your work, Colonel. Good night."

Roy Mustang wasn't sure if it was Hawkeye's oppressive atmosphere or something else, but now the paperwork was almost through. He was sort of relieved that he was nearing the last of the so deeply despised sheets of paper.

The door burst open and the lights were flicked off. "Whoa, who's there?"

"Colonel? What are you doing here so late?" A familiar child's voice asked.

"Fullmetal?"

Then the door blew off its hinges.

\--- 

Edward's nightmares were prowling in his subconscious mind. He had just needed to get away. That was why he was walking around the streets at this late hour of the night. He had left Alphonse back at the dorms so that he wouldn't have to explain anything about the things that haunted his mind.

The streets were quiet, not empty, but quiet. A few people were milling about, maybe on a late night date with their lover or possibly a wasted and stumbling about drunkard.

Something out of the corner of Edward's line of sight shifted. He subtly glanced in the direction. Nothing. It was likely a stray or one of the drunks. Edward kept on after that. He had no destination just a departure point that he wasn't ready to return to yet.

Again, something shifted. Edward ignored it, not because he was not curious about the thing. Just that, if it turned out someone was following, staying in his peripheral view, he didn't want them to attack where someone else might get hurt. Yes, he wasn't always the most _careful_ of fighters, but he didn't want anyone else to get involved.

Edward decided to head in the direction of headquarters. At least, there he would likely run into some officers. The only problem was that there was a stretch of lights that were all out. Some bad fuse, or something. That wouldn't be a problem except that it discouraged people to walk through there, meaning just Edward and the possible stalker, which wasn't too bad. But it would be very dark.

Edward went into the direction of the darkness. He hoped that this movement hiding from his vision was nothing or, at least, something that he could easily handle.

Edward saw the dark patch on the road. It was not far away. No one was around so he had to be prepared. Edward was now entering the more shade filled streets that steadily grew in darkness.

"Kid," Edward shivered. He turned to face the speaker. It was much too dark to see the man properly, for it was a man. The voice and silhouette gave that away.

"Yes?"

"What ever are you doing at this time? A strange time to take a walk." That was exactly what Edward had been doing.

"I don't think that is something you need to know," Edward hissed as he moved forward, away from the man. _Put distance between us,_ he thought.

"Eh, don't bite my head off, kid. I was just wondering what someone so young and..." The man seemed to scan Edward.

_Call me small. I dare you!_

"...little."

Edward twitched. "I'm not small." He was trying not to have a fight, but if the man mentioned his height again, it might turn ugly. If he so much as hinted at it again, it might turn ugly.

"I got it, kid." Edward felt a familiar chill crawl up his spine. The same chill he always got when fighting creeps. Something was seriously off.

Edward started backing away. He kept his eyes locked on the man.

"Don't leave yet, Fullmetal. We have so much to discuss."

"Who the hell are you?!" Edward brought his hands together, clapping them in order to reform some object to his advantage.

"Oh, no, no, no. We can't have that." The man pulled a gun from inside of his coat, a smirk robbing his face. Before the trigger was pulled, Edward dropped. He brought his hands down smacking them onto the surface of the cobblestone. A huge wall of stone was built up in a matter of milliseconds, taking the bullet in Edward's stead.

"Now, killing me wouldn't be very nice. I mean, we only just met. We should get acquainted first!" Edward clapped his hands and pressed them against the wall he had formed. It was decomposed, ripped to shreds, then pieced back together as a collection of twisting spears.

The man wasn't there, though. He was gone.

_But he was only just there! Where is he? Where did he go?_

Edward felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise in alarm. "Well, first, I'll introduce you to my gun. After all, it's only polite."

Edward jumped back as the man's gun and whole person appeared next to him. He went to clap, trying to build up another wall like the first, but there was no time. The trigger was pulled.

Bang!


	2. Chapter 2

Edward managed to dodge the bullet at the last second. He decided on his best point of action; he ran. He started off running strait then broke off into a zigzag to throw the man off.

East headquarters was just ahead. He could very easily shake the man off in there. He could run into the halls and hide in Mustang's office.

Edward felt a bullet graze his arm. He could feel the warm liquid spill out in a rush. His teeth were clenched in pain and his automail went to put pressure on the new wound. The shock from the wound would settle in soon; Edward knew it.

He bolted up the steps of the Eastern Command headquarters. The man seemed to slow in pursuit. So headquarters was the right move.

Edwards slowed down when he came in, not by much, but he slowed. He passed the receptionist. He really hoped he wasn't putting her in danger by coming in. It was too late to turn back, though. He just hoped that creep would leave her alone.

The halls were quiet and devoid of life. He hurried in the direction of the Colonel's office. The soft thudding of feet on the floor was heard from behind Edward. He bolted as quietly as humanly possible with automail towards the door to Mustang's office. It was in sight, now. Upon reaching his destination, he ripped the door open and slipped in, flicking off the lights.

"Whoa, who's there?"

Edward had a moment of panic until he recognized the voice. "Colonel? What are you doing here so late?" Edward was confused. He knew the Colonel had a house, so why wasn't he there?

"Fullmetal?"

The door to the office was blown in, nearly hitting Edward in the process. He tried to run, but a hand grabbed him and twisted his arm until clapping would be impossible.

"Let me guess," The voice of the man from earlier said. "You didn't know I was an alchemist too?"

\---

Roy jumped to his feet, making sure he had his gloves on. He wasn't sure if the man knew he was there because the room was almost black without the street lights that were out.

The lights flicked on, and Roy froze.

"Don't move, Colonel Flame." Fullmetal was being held in an awkward position so that his arm was twisted into a position that he couldn't clap in. A gun was held to his head. "It was so kind of Fullmetal here to run this way. Now, I don't have to go out of my way to get you."

Edward squirmed. "Get your mitts off me, you creep!"

Mustang wanted to tell Edward to shut up. The kid was going to get himself killed.

Mustang tried to profile the man. He was lean, about the same height a Roy himself. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. They still had the chance that they might escape this situation. The man said he was an alchemist, but that was one alchemist against the two most talented state alchemists in Amestris. He had the advantage of holding a gun to one of their heads, but they still had a chance.

They had an even better chance once Edward broke his arm free and clapped his hands, forming his automail into a blade. The man in that time fired his weapon. Edward dodged, luckily fast enough to get out of the way in time.

Roy snapped his fingers, sending flames at the man who dared touch his subordinate. Unfortunately a wall was formed in protection around the man. He never bent down to build up the creation, which was confusing.

Edward ducked behind Mustang.

"Hey, Fullmetal, what the hell are you doing?" He hissed. "I don't really like being used a human shield."

"Well, then duck!" Mustang ducked, and Edward clapped his hands. A collective bunch of spears shot out of the transmuted ground.

"Fullmetal, I don't want to die, but please don't destroy my office too much."

"I can put it back the way it was! So shut up!" Edward exclaimed in total annoyance.

Edward and the Colonel ducked behind one of the desks. "Fullmetal, what are you even doing here?"

Edward scowled. "Just focus on the guy trying to kill us."

Bullets filled the desk they were hiding behind. The sound was deafening. "Can't you use your flame alchemy?"

"Not when he's shooting at us," The Colonel hissed with a glare at Edward. "I need to be able to aim, and I can't if he is going to shoot me."

"Come out, and it will hurt less!" The man shouted, as he stopped shooting.

"Not shooting," Edward muttered.

Mustang shot up and snapped his fingers. The man jumped away.

"You get him?" Edward asked as he stood. "Nope."

The man built up another wall. They just sat there for the longest time, waiting for someone to make the next move.

"Colonel, we should move in. We are giving him too much time to think," Edward whispered.

"You're not thinking enough."

"He can't take us both at the same time." Roy stopped. They didn't really have much else they could do.

"Fine. On three. One, two, and three." They both jumped out from behind the desk, ready to be shot at. No bullets came. They advanced towards the wall. Edward went to the left, while Roy went to the right. Both thought they were ready, but neither were. Roy was met with another wall, and Edward was met with a man with a complex transmutation circle drawn on his hand. He had been prepared but not ready for the hand that grabbed his automail forearm and the flash of alchemic lightning.

Edward punched the man with his flesh first. "What did you d-" Edward's whole lower automail arm, from the elbow down, fell off.

"Fullmet-" The sound off a thump.

The man stood up again, rubbing his jaw. "About time you showed up."

Edward spun around and was met with another man he was tall with near blonde, brown hair and was wearing a military uniform. His brown eyes were filled with hate.

"Now, Fullmetal, meet my partner." A spike of pain erupted in the back of Edward's neck, and he fell to the ground and into an unconscious heap.

\---

Riza had slept well with the little time that was given to her. She was up early for work and was heading towards the office when she ran into Havoc.

"What are you going here so early?" She asked her colleague.

"I got a call, didn't you?"

"No, what was the call about?" Hawkeye felt a shiver crawl up her spine, creating a worm of worry in her gut.

"An MP called and told me to hurry over. They said something about how they couldn't contact someone and they also said something about the Boss and Chief. There wasn't anything else." Hawkeye nodded and followed him towards the office. As they approached, any panic they had grew. The area was blocked off and blood was speckled on the ground in tiny droplets.

"What's happened here?" Hawkeye demanded, grabbing the arm of a passing Sergeant.

"Are you First Lieutenant Hawkeye? They wanted you, but they weren't able to get in contact. Let me take you over, Ma'am."

Hawkeye and Havoc followed the Sergeant passed the other MPs and into the office. It was a wreck. Everything was turned over and there were signs of the use of alchemy all over, but the thing the made Hawkeye the most sick was the far wall. On it were two coats. One pinned to the wall with a bloody knife, and the other with a recognisable shard of metal. Both coats were also recognisable. One was a bright red coat with a black flamel on the back, and the other was a military jacket. Both were soaked with blood.

"Boss," Havoc started; his voice breaking. He looked pale, almost as white as a sheet. "Chief..."

An officer walked up to them, and the Sergeant respectfully backed away. It was enough to make anyone worried. The blood, the knives, the coats, but also the space.

"First Lieutenant Hawkeye, Second Lieutenant Havoc, I am sorry to say this, but it seems that Colonel Roy Mustang and Major Edward Elric have either been murdered or brutally attacked."

Hawkeye felt sick. This was assurance of her assumption. She never should have left the Colonel. If she had been there...

Would things have gone differently if she had stayed? She couldn't stop thinking that. _What if?_

Tears stung Hawkeye's eyes because she, and everyone else, knew that the amount of blood covering everything was far too much blood to have come from someone who was still alive. Both Edward Elric and Roy Mustang were dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like it. I'm bringing Al in next chapter.
> 
> If you would, please tell me what you think.


	3. Chapter 3

Hawkeye tried hard to block the thought that came into her mind, but if Edward hadn't gone to Mustang's office, would Roy have died as well? They had been informed that Mustang never left the building, but Edward had been spotted, by the receptionist on duty, coming in late at night. The young woman had mentioned that another man came in. She hadn't stopped him, which was why she was sobbing right now.

Riza didn't care that the woman was sobbing. She probably would have tried to convince the woman that it wasn't her fault, but right now she just didn't care. She wanted to empty five guns into the man who did this, but she couldn't because they didn't have any suspects. The receptionist didn't remember anything about the man that had come in. She had said so when asked.

"Second Lieutenant, please, stay here while I call the rest of the team and tell them what happened."

That's when Havoc visually flinched. "Riza, what about Alphonse?"

Hawkeye took in a deep breath and let it out as a long sigh. "I will go to him in person."

Havoc wanted to relieve her of such a weighing task, but he couldn't. He couldn't even stomach the idea of being the one to say such a thing. "Yes, Ma'am."

She left and Havoc felt a pulling in his gut.

* * *

Hawkeye looked down at the phone in disgust. It was the phone she had just used to inform her colleagues that their commanding officer was probably dead. Not only that, but also that one of the people they had gotten to know as a friend was also probably dead.

Alphonse was next. This wasn't going to be like the others. She wasn't going to call and say that his family was likely dead. Brutality murdered. She couldn't just call a kid and tell him that his family was gone because someone decided that human life wasn't as important to them as it was to others.

It was funny how being so deeply in thought can make everything blurry. But then Hawkeye realised that it wasn't the thoughts looming in her mind that caused the blur. They were tears. Tears for her Colonel and tears for Edward. Tears for her commanding officer and young, hot-headed subordinate.

That reminded Hawkeye of her mission. It reminded her that she needed to tell Alphonse about his brother. He would be devastated. He would grieve, but he wouldn't cry because he couldn't. Hawkeye felt numb as she started to walk. The dorms weren't far away, but the walk seemed to take decades. It was not until she stood in front of the barracks that she realised how much time had already passed. She entered the building climbing stairs upon stairs to the floor Alphonse and Edward lived on.

The door to the Elric's dorm was so close yet still so far away. She came closer until she was standing right in front of the doorway. She held her hand right above the surface of the wood. Her hand pulled back a little before coming down on the wood, rapping on the door.

"I'm coming," Alphonse's voice announced. The sound of his armour feet clanking on the floor as he approached the door came through to Hawkeye. She tried to think. She tried to think about what she would say. The words she would use to tell Alphonse.

The door was opened. "Brother, is that you..." Alphonse stopped and cocked his helmet head. "Oh, Lieutenant, what are you doing here? Brother isn't here. He went out last night. He will probably be back a little later."

"Alphonse, your brother... He isn't coming back."

"What are you saying? Of course he's coming... No, no, whatever you think. It's wrong! He will come back! He always comes back."

"Alphonse..." Riza sighed long and shakily. "Your brother and the Colonel have been attacked. All... all evidence points to them being murdered." Alphonse shook.

"No, please, no. I can't- not without him!" Alphonse's metal knees gave out, and he fell with a loud clatter.

"I want to see him! Let me see my brother!" Alphonse wailed.

"Alphonse, there aren't any bodies. We have Edward's coat covered in blood and surrounded by ruins."

"But then, he might still be alive." Alphonse jumped to his feet and ran past Hawkeye. Riza knew exactly where Alphonse was headed.

"No, Alphonse, don't go!" Hawkeye ran in pursuit of Alphonse, but he was taller with longer legs and didn't run out of energy in the slightest.

After a few minutes Hawkeye was left racing after Alphonse through headquarters. She hoped that he would be sensible enough to stop before going into the office. He wasn't, though. He went right up to the door and looked in.

"No... no..." He fell to his knees with a huge crash. Hawkeye knew that he must have felt so sick.

She came up beside him. It was too late to stop him from seeing the coat and the blood everywhere, but the least she could do was try to console him.

* * *

Alphonse wished he could cry. He wanted to so badly. Tears could clean away grief. Not all the grief but some of it. Yes, crying might hurt, but tears were vital. They were cleansing.

Alphonse just wanted to look away and cry because it hurt. It hurt to see the blood and Edward's coat. It hurt to know that the lieutenant was right about Edward being gone. But she couldn't be right because Edward couldn't be gone. It wasn't possible. Alphonse had only just seen him alive. Edward hadn't even been gone very long, right?

"Alphonse, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." The Lieutenant's voice sounded pained as well. How could Alphonse not realise how much pain she must be in. She had lost someone too. She had lost someone close to her.

"Alphonse," Havoc's voice resonated through Alphonse's helmet. His hand came to rest on Alphonse's shoulder.

"He isn't gone... I don't believe it..."

* * *

Mustang woke with sore shoulders and a splitting migraine pounding right behind his closed eyes. He cracked his eyes open, venturing a peek at his soundings. Darkness filled the room.

Roy could see the silhouettes of things around the room. He had only just enough light to make out some of the objects in the space. Above his head, his hands were bound and bleeding. He knew because he could feel blood trickling down his arm, and could see and feel the braided rope as it ripped apart the sensitive flesh surrounding his wrists.

To his right was what liked like a table, and right in front of him seemed empty, but it was too dark for him to be completely sure. He let his eyes wander to the left. That was where the door was. He knew because he could see the light seeping out from the crack under the door. And that was where the only light in the room came from.

There was something else to his left. It was still and had a familiar shape. It was small. Small like a child. Roy nearly threw up.

"Fullmetal...?" He whispered, begging for an answer. The kid couldn't be dead, right? That would be the cruelest of torture. An innocent kid's body laying face down cold on stone beside him. That was what Roy assumed the could hard material he sat on was.

"Come on, Fullmetal..." Roy prompted the still kid. "No, wake up." He had to keep his voice low in a whisper to avoid detection of whoever brought them here.

A silence almost sickening followed. Nothing at all moved. Roy bit his lip. If Edward were alive, his back should have been moving up and down with the patterns of his breathing. _No, no, please, no... He can't be dead. I can't be alone with his body. No!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to delete the chapter because I was unable to edit it, so sorry. 
> 
> Please comment and tell me what you think ;)

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it. Tell me what you think below ;)


End file.
